The First Sea Lord’s Sea Power Conference 2018: Maritime Strategy in the Twenty-First Century

A report on the proceedings of The First Sea Lord’s Sea Power Conference 2018, hosted by RUSI. The conference addressed the potential for human-machine combat teaming, implications for force design, disinvestment strategies and people from the year 2035.

After a long strategic holiday, the security community is once again engaged with maritime strategy. As the opening remarks of Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson made clear, a changing threat environment has made sea power a focal issue to a degree that has not been matched in the recent past. Within this context, the First Sea Lord’s Sea Power Conference represented an effort to bring together decision-makers and leaders from across the academic, military and think tank domains in order to provide a forum for cross-domain discussions regarding the future of sea power and the ramifications of a twenty-first century threat environment for maritime strategy.

Major observations from the conference include:

There has been a lack of analysis regarding the long-term future of naval warfare. A compelling narrative was lacking as to what the range of futures might look like, without immediate reference to legacy platforms.

The absence of discussion regarding the mix of high and low warfare, and the efficacy of capital ships in an era dominated by information and technology was a significant concern.

The inability to come to terms with potential trade-offs between efficiency and resilience in military industrial policy requires more work from government and industry.

In common with discussions in the land environment, the aspirations for collaboration with industry in order to share scarce human resources was never grounded in sufficient detail to warrant optimism.

BANNER IMAGE: Ships and submarines participating in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in 2012 in formation in the waters around the Hawaiian islands. RIMPAC is the world's largest international naval warefare exercise. Courtesy of US Navy/US Indo-Pacific Command

Support Rusi Research

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Related

In Project Haldane, the British Army’s endeavour to breathe new life into its reserve forces, the Army faces a unique opportunity to ensure its Reserve is configured for the next war; how it reacts may determine its future as a Reference Force.

The articles below were informed by a roundtable discussion in London in October 2018 between the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and RUSI to discuss the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. While the discussion revealed some differences in perspective, it was agreed that expert dialogue can play an important role in informing the policy positions of all governments concerned.

The House of Commons Defence Committee has released a report looking at defence developments in the High North. It should serve as a timely reminder of defence priorities, both among decision-makers in London and the general public

President Donald Trump’s announcement that the US will withdraw from a landmark nuclear treaty comes at a bad time for the UK. Still, if damage to British security is to be limited, deft diplomatic handling from London will be required.

Pages

In Project Haldane, the British Army’s endeavour to breathe new life into its reserve forces, the Army faces a unique opportunity to ensure its Reserve is configured for the next war; how it reacts may determine its future as a Reference Force.

The articles below were informed by a roundtable discussion in London in October 2018 between the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and RUSI to discuss the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. While the discussion revealed some differences in perspective, it was agreed that expert dialogue can play an important role in informing the policy positions of all governments concerned.

A debate on defence spending that has re-emerged within the NATO Alliance seems to have exacerbated tensions between the two sides of the transatlantic partnership. Continuing a long tradition of defining itself in opposite terms against its neighbour to the south, Canada’s approach to this debate offers a rarely explored take on burden sharing within the Alliance.

RUSI and The Atlantic Council together with the British-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce are holding a one-day conference in London to look at current developments in Ukraine, and their implications for...

Corporate

Individual

RUSI members enjoy privileged access to the RUSI Journal, Newsbrief and Defence Systems as well as invitations to our full programme of exclusive members’ lectures and seminars. Members also have access to our renowned Library of Military History and online catalogue.